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April 26, 2023
The Consequences of Lying to the Holy Spirit
Beloved one, God knows all and sees all. Lying is a big deal before God. It’s better to say nothing than to lie. Don’t lie to the Holy Spirit because He knows. there was a man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, both he and his wife Sapphira agreed to keep the rest. (Acts 5:1-2)
Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” (Acts 5:3-4) As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, took him out, and buried him. (Acts 5:5-6)
About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?” “Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.” And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.” Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened. (Acts 5:7-11)
Ananias and Sapphira went wrong in their lying. They presented the funds to the church as if it were the entire amount. There are two lessons to learn from their story. First, don’t lie to the Spirit of God. I believe we can all relate to this; I know I can. We may be able to deceive ourselves, but you can’t deceive God. Have you ever tried to convince yourself that your motives were pure, and you knew good and well they were not? Or perhaps your intentions were good when you knew they were selfish. God knows all! The sooner we repent and confess our sinful hearts the better.
The second lesson to learn is the devil is looking to destroy God’s people, subjecting them to temptation, and driving them away from God. He advises us to resist the devil and stand firm in the faith because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of suffering.’ Peter tells us to stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
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